Conti Capponi - Villa Calcinaia Chianti Classico Piegaia 2013
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Villa Calcinaia (pronounced “Kal-chin-aya”) is situated in the center of Chianti Classico near the town of Greve-in-Chianti. This historic estate has been home to the Counts Capponi since 1524, and is maintained by Sebastiano Capponi and his brother Niccolò. Calcinaia is the heart of the Capponi family and each generation gives new life to the fields, woods, vineyards and cellars. These wines express the family’s love for their land; with every vintage they share the hopes, worries, pride and care that come with making honest wines. Organic farming has been the standard at Villa Calcinaia since Sebastiano took over the estate’s management in 1992. The wines are certified as being produced with organic grapes since the 2014 vintage and are labeled as such. The 75 acres of vineyard are planted with Sangiovese, Merlot, Canaiolo, Grechetto, Vernaccia, Trebbiano, and Malvasia to name a few. Villa Calcinaia has been recognized for producing exemplary wines from rare indigenous varietals such as Mammolo and San Forte. Through every vintage, all the wines are crafted with food in mind. They are balanced, elegant, perfumed, and savory yet refreshing with restrained vigor and intensity that ensures longevity. The Villa Calcinaia philosophy has always been: “Love for the land, respect for tradition, and the rightful pride in bearing the name of Capponi.”
Disenchanted with Italian winemaking laws in the 1970s, a few rebellious Tuscan winemakers decided to get creative. Instead of following tradition, to bottle Sangiovese by itself, they started blending it with international varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah in differing proportions and with amazing success. However, some Tuscan Blends don’t even include Sangiovese. Somm Secret—The suffix –aia in Italian modifies a word in much the same way –y acts in English. For example, a place with many stones (sassi) becomes Sassicaia. While not all Super Tuscan producer names end in –aia, they all share a certain coy nomenclature.
One of the first wine regions anywhere to be officially recognized and delimited, Chianti Classico is today what was originally defined simply as Chianti. Already identified by the early 18th century as a superior zone, the official name of Chianti was proclaimed upon the area surrounding the townships of Castellina, Radda and Gaiole, just north of Siena, by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in an official decree in 1716.
However, by the 1930s the Italian government had appended this historic zone with additonal land in order to capitalize on the Chianti name. It wasn’t until 1996 that Chianti Classico became autonomous once again when the government granted a separate DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to its borders. Ever since, Chianti Classico considers itself no longer a subzone of Chianti.
Many Classicos are today made of 100% Sangiovese but can include up to 20% of other approved varieties grown within the Classico borders. The best Classicos will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and be full-bodied with plenty of ripe fruit (plums, black cherry, blackberry). Also common among the best Classicos are expressive notes of cedar, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic or tobacco.